P.M. Ohio State Buckeyes links: A little salve and some reactions to the latest football scandal

View full sizeAP FileIt IS possible to win an NCAA title without having a scandal looming over you. The Ohio State men's volleyball team is proof, having claimed that title last Saturday,

"To me it means Ohio State is doing the right things ... Our administration is supporting us in a way that allows us to compete at this level. We've got a great coaching staff that works their you-know-whats off. And we are recruiting the best level of kids in the classroom and on the court."

Anybody surprised that that quote comes from a member of a national championship Buckeyes team? Anybody? Anybody?

Yeah, we admit redacting the sport, but the word "court" and us telling you that the kid's a member of a national championship team should be the first clue that nobody is named Tressel or Pryor, and we highly doubt -- HIGHLY -- that there are tattoos or cars involved.

Nope, the quote comes from 27-year coach Pete Hanson, whose Buckeyes men's volleyball team won the NCAA title on Saturday, and it appears in a Columbus Dispatch story today.

Yeah, yeah, we know. Apples and oranges. Can't compare football to volleyball. Well, you're right about that, especially in terms of revenue, etc. You don't see too many Buckeye Volleyball hoodies around, either.

But isn't it nice to read about an Ohio State team without the words "NCAA Compliance" anywhere in the story?

O-H-I-O* -- Ramzy, the one-named blogger for Buckeyes fan site elevenwarriors.com, thinks this whole thing about cars and players is an overrated non-story. Just because players got the best deals they could on used cars isn't a reason to question their compliance with NCAA rules. Wanna bet his basement "man cave" is done in Scarlet & Gray, with Brutus table lamps and a horseshoe-shaped coffee table?

* -- Dana O'Neil of espn.com put together a list of 10 things learned from his past college hoops season -- and half of them are lessons that come from Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger keeping his promise and not entering the NBA draft.

* -- Linebacker Dorian Bell, a three-time violator of "team rules" kicked off the Ohio State squad by Jim Tressel -- good LORD, what do you have to do to have THAT happen nowadays? -- reportedly is enrolling at Pitt, according to SBNation.com.

* -- This just in, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith doesn't like talking about the problems embroiling head coach Jim Tressel, according to the Columbus Business First website. Curiosity implores us to ask, what did he expect when he agrees to give the keynote speech at a Society of Professional Journalists banquet?

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